The silence after everything caved in was not loud or chaotic. It was precise. The following morning did not bring any sense of panic. No barrage of phone calls. No sudden emergencies waiting for her. Just reality, showing up, exactly when it needed to.

Lynda woke up without fighting it. No lingering in bed, no attempt to stall the inevitable. Honestly, there was not really anything left to put off. Yesterday’s decision had already started to shape things, not as some big announcement, but as ...